It’s been another busy summer at St. John School. In addition to the usual cleaning and polishing that is done each year, new heating AND air conditioning units were installed in the north end classrooms. This proved to be a much more involved and expensive project than originally anticipated. We are extremely grateful to our Race for Education donors and to a generous bequest for helping to fund this much needed project! A huge shout out to our friends at Lammers Heating and Air Conditioning for their amazing generosity as they donated much of the extensive labor costs!!! These folks are an incredible blessing to all of us and we will be reminded of their generosity each time our students and staff enjoy comfortable temperatures throughout the year for optimal learning in each of these classrooms.

As a part of our continued efforts to make our school safer and more secure, ballistic shields are being installed on some entrance doors and windows, and clear 3M impact protection film on others. This past year, lock-out “boots” were installed on each of the interior classroom, restroom and office doors to provide an extra layer of security for our school family. Much of the funding for these projects was received from a Michigan State Police School Safety Grant. Ongoing efforts will be made to ensure the safest possible environment for our students.

In addition to the many new families this year, we welcome two new teachers to our SJS staff: Mrs. Lauren Russler joins Mrs. Karen Barrett to teach our first graders this year. Lauren earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from Baker College and has begun the alternate route process to teacher certification which allows her to teach while she is taking the remainder of the required classes. Lauren and her husband, Nick, have three children; the oldest two are students here at St. John.

Mrs. Beckie Lampman joins Mrs. Betsy Saunders to teach our sixth graders this year. Beckie earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Albion College with a major in English and a concentration in elementary education. She worked as a substitute teacher and a recess supervisor for us during the years before her youngest child was born. She is ready now to move into a full-time teaching position and her decision couldn’t have come at a better time! Beckie and her husband, Travis, have two children here at St. John.

Please join us in praying God’s blessing on our school family as we begin another great year at SJS. If you would like more information about our school or are interested in joining our Senior Saints Grandparents and VIP Group which meets monthly at the school, please call me at 517.784.1714. St. John School – Where faith and family meet academic excellence.

~ Kristi Blair, School Principal